A Little Water and Love
by Moonlight97
Summary: Grandma's houseplant is dying, being eaten by little bugs, but Link's sister, Aryll, doesn't want to accept that. She will do all she can to save the plant, even if that means spending all of her money to save it. Is there anyway she can keep the plant alive? One-shot, Rated K. Based on 180 Writing Prompt question 3: Houseplant is Dying.


** Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda.**

The rain continued to pour out the window, and Link and Aryll stared at the outside of Outset, longing to be out there. Grandma snickered quietly to herself, _such sweet children,_ she thought, _sitting on their knees side by side, just waiting for the rain to stop._

"Grandma," Aryll cried, "Do you think it'll stop soon?"

Grandma moved her sewing out of the way, stood up from her favorite rocking chair, and walked over to the window. "Hmm," She pondered, looking up to the cloudy sky. "It doesn't look like it will for a while." She admitted, and brushed back Aryll's hair. "You just have to wait it out, sweet child." She then walked over to the counter to put some plates and glasses away, but the kids stayed where they were. Aryll sighed sadly and continued to watch the rain. Water splashed against the window, and spilled down the smooth surface, making the outside wavy and out of focus. Puddles quickly formed on the roads and grass, and there wasn't a person in sight. The dark clouds mase it seem like it was much later than it really was.

Link soon gave up and left Aryll's side, accepting that it wasn't about to clear up soon. He sat down on the bed and watched the fire crackle in the fireplace. A few moments passed before Grandma finished her work over by the counter and she walked over to the shelf to water the leafy plant resting on the highest shelf. "Oh, this is no good." Grandma said. Aryll turned away from the window and curiously looked at her.

"What isn't good?" She asked.

"This plant," Grandma replied pushing back the leaves to better look at it. "Is dying, what a shame… A lot of little bugs are eating away at it."

"Is there anything we can do for it?"Aryll asked, growing concerned.

"Not much," Grandma admitted. "It's all right, Aryll. Plants live and then they die."

"But Grandma," Aryll continued. "We had that plant as long as I could remember! It can't die!"

"Aryll," Grandma sighed. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do for it. There are millions of bugs eating and living on it."

"I can talk to Sturgeon." Aryll decided, moved away from the window, and walked over to the shelf. "He knows everything. Surely he would know how to cure it. Can I take care of the plant?"

"Of course, you can talk to him about it." Grandma reached for the plant, brought it down, and handed it to her granddaughter. Aryll was very wise, and while Grandma didn't know if the plant could be saved, she thought it would be good for Aryll to try if she wanted. "Be careful with it."

Aryll gladly took it and carried it with her over to the counter, where she gently poured a little water on it. Grandma smiled and turned in for the day. "You need to live." Aryll whispered to the plant. "You're part of the family too, and I always loved to watch you grow as I grew." She stroked the still-green leaves and watched it quietly for a moment. After it had been taken care of, Aryll took one last look at the window and also went to bed.

Aryll was the first one to wake up, and she smiled when she saw the sun was shining, but instead of running out to play, she tended to the plant on the counter and began cooking breakfast.

Grandma awoke by the clattering of dishes and got up to help Aryll cook. But of course Link was the last of the three to wake up. Grandma laughed when she heard Link yawn and stretch tiredly. That was the way it has always been. It's not like Link to be lazy, for just like his sister, he worked hard for the family and anyone who needed help on the island, but he has always been a heavy sleeper.

Link's dozed state suddenly disappeared when he stopped to look at the window. "It stopped raining!" He gasped. "Let's go outside!"

"Hold on, Link." Grandma called as Link reached for the door. "Come and eat first, then you can play."

Link calmed and groaned in protest, obviously wanting to be outside more than to eat, but he didn't argue, and joined the family to help finish cooking.

Aryll grew anxious to meet with the wise elder, Sturgeon, about her sick plant, but she happily helped her grandma to clean up after breakfast all the same, and when all of the kids' chores were done. Grandma gently took the houseplant and gave it to Aryll.

"Thank you, Grandma!" She returned a hug, took the plant, and ran outside with Link.

The sun was warm and shone brightly through the passing gray clouds. Water droplets fell from trees and other surfaces to splash quietly in small puddles. "Woohoo!" Link cried. "It feels like forever ago when we were out last!"

"It wasn't that long ago." Aryll replied. Link laughed and was fixing to break into a run. "Wait, Big Brother!" Aryll grabbed onto Link's sleeve to stop him, making him awkwardly walk back after running the first three steps. "Can you take this money and see if you can find some of that stuff that makes plants healthy?"

Link narrowed his face in confusion. "You mean fertilizer?"

Aryll nodded.

"But this is all of your saved allowance." He realized out loud when she tried to give him the rupees.

"I know, I'm trying all I can." She replied looking down at the money, but Link shook his head.

"I can't right now, I have to-"

"Thanks, Big Brother, but I need to show the plant to Sturgeon." She shoved the money in Link's arms and ran off towards Sturgeon's house that was just next door.

"Aryll!" Link complained, looking down at the spilling rupees.

Aryll wasted no time and called to the old man standing on the second floor of the building. He looked down and adjusted his glasses when he recognized the young girl holding the potted plant. "Ahoy!" He called back. "If it isn't Aryll! It's a lovely morning to be outside after all that rain, isn't it? Are you helping your grandmother?"

She shook her head. "I've already helped her for today, but I'm hoping you'd help me with something about this plant."

"Of course, hand the plant to me and you can come on inside."

She carefully lifted the pot above her head and Sturgeon, with the same grace, took it from her and beckoned her inside. Now that her hands were free, Aryll climbed the ladder and walked through the door.

"This is a wonderful species of plant." Sturgeon was already saying when he followed behind Aryll. "Did you know that when they grew in specific environments, they-…Wait," He stopped himself, and wrinkles formed on his gigantic forehead as he took a closer look at the leaves. "This has little pests in it!"

"I know," Aryll said. "That's why I brought it. Do you know how to heal it?" She asked hopefully, and the elder tilted his head and inspected the leaves further.

"It's a good thing you brought it here, Aryll." He said, not removing his eyes from the bugs. "It surely was going to die, but with my great wisdom, I can tell you that it can be saved!"

Aryll's eyes brightened. "Really, how?"

"Easy, to defeat the bugs, you have to find some bug allies." He gave the plant to Aryll and moved to one of his own houseplants. Aryll took back the pot and watched curiously.

He came back with his wrinkled finger leading and let the little black-spotted-on-red bug walk on Aryll's plant. "Little ladybugs," He explained, "Like to eat these pests and will not harm the greenery." He smiled when Aryll visibly relaxed and was glad with the news.

But they both jumped in shock when a loud sound below them shook the house and was immediately followed by the smashing of pots. Sturgeon grew suddenly angry and pounded his cane just as unsettling on the floor. "If you break my vases one more time," He yelled, still hammering on the floor. "I'll make you pay all of your money on my broken equipment! Go outside to practice your fighting, you great hooligan, that's what it's there for!" He then calmed, shook his head, and offered one final smile to Aryll, who moved awkwardly to the door, knowing that the scene between the brothers was quite common. She also gave a final smile, waved, and left without another word.

As soon as Aryll came down the ladder, she dove into the nearest bushes, seeking more ladybugs. It was then when Link came running excitedly towards his sister holding a bottle of fertilizer. "Aryll," He called. "I found it!"

Aryll turned around and placed the ladybugs in their new home. "Thank you, Big Brother. Look, Sturgeon said to find some ladybugs to help Grandma's plant!" She showed Link the small, pretty, bugs and took the bottle from him. He then offered her the rest of her money, which she was astounded to see that Link has spent little of it. "How much was it, Big Brother? It doesn't look like it was very costly."

Link shrugged. "Let's just say I helped pay for some of it." He admitted shyly.

Aryll hugged her brother. "Oh, thank you, you're such a hero."

"It's just something big brothers do. Can we go play now?" He asked.

Aryll nodded and beckoned him to wait so she could quickly place the potted plant on their porch before running towards him. "I'll race you to Aryll's Lookout!" She called, and Link quickly broke into a run to catch up.

Aryll was very happy when the plant became healthier by the day, and Grandma was proud that there was a working solution to save the plant that her granddaughter so cared for. Thanks to Aryll, the plant was once again able to flourish in their home, like it never became sick.

**Author's note: Thanks for reading! This was based on question 3: houseplant is dying, in 180 Writing Prompt on Tumblr. The question asked what would you say to convince a dying plant that it needed to live. **


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